Michele Randolph: Deaf Mother of 2 Graduates With a Degree From US University
- Michele Randolph is a mother of two who is hearing-impaired
- The 50-year-old woman has graduated with dual degrees in History and African Studies from the University of North Carolina in Charlotte
- Randolph also has a degree in Criminal Justice and a minor in Political Science from her alma mater
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A mother of two who is hearing-impaired, Michele Randolph, has graduated with dual degrees from the University of North Carolina in Charlotte after overcoming challenges.
She was 12 years old in middle school when she heard a pop sound and suddenly lost her ability to hear.
At the time, she had no prior knowledge of American Sign Language, so she had to communicate by reading the lips of others.
Source: UGC
Despite the challenge, it did not stop her from raising her two daughters while deaf though she was heavily dependent on her first daughter to help her with phone calls and booking doctor's appointments.
Randolph first stepped foot on the campus of UNCC in 1989 and went through her classes without the assistance of the resources for students with disabilities, according to the UNCC site.
She graduated in 1995 with a degree in Criminal Justice and a minor in Political Science.
In 2018, Randolph returned to her alma mater to pursue a new discipline at the age of 47.
She had to raise her second daughter, Miracle, who was born with cerebral palsy, autism, and brain damage through the last two years of schooling.
In 2019, Randolph was given another chance at hearing when she became a cochlear implant candidate to enable her to hear her children speak for the first time since they were born.
During this period, life threw different obstacles at Randolph while in school.
She had to return to the theatre to repair a botched gall bladder which took about six months for her to recover. She returned to school with 67 staples, an oxygen tank, and a walker.
''I wanted to give up a lot. I really wanted to just stop going to school,'' she said.
She also lost her grandmother and husband George after he suffered a cardiac arrest last year.
Randolph was faced with another obstacle when her mother was rushed to intensive care due to coronavirus and her daughter too was affected by the virus.
Randolph made it through with immense support from her faculty, family, and friends.
The 50-year-old braved her storms and got the chance to experience graduation differently than her previous degree. With her cochlear implants, Randolph fully participated in the ceremony.
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Creative art
In other news, Briefly News reported that a group of students have caused a huge stir on social media as a result of their creative art made with their hands.
The youngsters from Intercontinental School in Kano, according to @OvieAli on Twitter, made eye-catching household items from rubber spoons.
With great skill and organization, they made chandeliers, sun-flower clocks and luminous lamps. Their creative work was received with mixed feelings among Nigerians. While many commended their effort, some argued that it wasn't a big deal.
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Source: Briefly News
Kelly Lippke (Senior Editor) Kelly Lippke is a copy editor/proofreader who started her career at the Northern-Natal Courier with a BA in Communication Science/Psychology (Unisa, 2007). Kelly has worked for several Caxton publications, including the Highway Mail and Northglen News. Kelly’s unique editing perspective stems from an additional major in Linguistics. Kelly joined Briefly News in 2018 and she has 14 years of experience. Kelly has also passed a set of trainings by Google News Initiative. You can reach her at kelly.lippke@briefly.co.za.
Mxolisi Mngadi (Editor) Mxolisi Mngadi is an entertainment reporter. He graduated in 2002 from Damelin with a Diploma in Journalism, majoring in African and International Studies, Journalism and Electronic Media. He then started his journalism career at the Daily Sun newspaper, went on to The Citizen, and worked as a senior reporter at News24. He has been a writer for more than 15 years.
